‘Much more persecution’: Venezuela braces for Nicolas Maduro’s inauguration

Bogota, Colombia – Jesus Medina Ezaine had already spent 16 months in a Venezuelan military prison, accused of crimes he said were related to his work as a photojournalist.

However, another prison term appeared to be upon us, especially after Nicolas Maduro’s contested re-election.

With Maduro set to be sworn in for a third term, Medina, 43, made a difficult decision: to flee his home in Venezuela for the relative safety of Bogota, the capital of neighbouring Colombia.

“Before they could put me back in prison, I decided to escape”, said Medina.

The alleged repression of political rivals has long drawn criticism from Maduro’s administration. However, the recent electoral crisis is expected to come to an end with Friday’s inauguration ceremony, with observers warning that Maduro’s campaign against holding onto power may turn violent.

“The regime   is going to do everything they can to ensure that Maduro can be re-inaugurated and that he can continue with his administration”, said Juan Pappier, deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Americas division.

“If they see that possibility challenged in any way, for example through]opposition-led] demonstrations, they are going to repress them brutally”.

A climate of fear

Medina recalls being drenched in fear during his final months in Venezuela.

He had photographed Maria Corina Machado’s campaign as a photographer in the weeks leading up to the contentious election to show her efforts to win Edmundo Gonzalez’s presidential nomination.

But he was once more a target for that work.

Medina was not unknown to the Maduro government: In 2018, he was arrested on charges of money laundering, criminal association and inciting hate, all of which he denies.

Instead, he asserts that his arrest was retaliation for his reporting on human rights violations. He was imprisoned until January 2020 in the military prison in Ramo Verde.

He claimed that “the Venezuelan regime does not tolerate any comments or information against them.”

“The media is scared”, Medina added. Because journalists there are working to avoid being imprisoned, “freedom of expression in Venezuela has completely disappeared.”

However, the political repression that Medina experienced on July 28, 2024 was even worse.

The National Electoral Council announced Maduro’s victory shortly after the polls closed, but it did so without providing its customary breakdown of voting tallies.

In the meantime, the opposition published voter receipts that instead suggested Gonzalez had a majority of the vote and had won. A government crackdown erupted as alleged electoral fraud caused widespread protests.

Medina claimed he was informed that he would face jail time once more as state forces swept the streets for protesters and seize control of dissidents’ homes.

He quickly went into hiding. In an effort to avoid being detained for two months, Medina squatted in various locations in the capital of Caracas. He claimed that his home in the city had already been knocked upon by the intelligence services of the nation.

Feeling cornered, Medina decided to flee on September 15 to Bogota, where he has stayed ever since.

A wave of repression

As many as 2, 500 people were ultimately detained in the post-election protests, according to government statistics.

In what independent UN investigators described as “unprecedented levels of violence” were 25 more victims.

At least 56 political opposition activists, 10 journalists, and one human rights advocate were among the people who were detained between August and December, according to a UN fact-finding mission earlier this month.

A report from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on Tuesday also surfaced alleging systematic state oppression intended to “sow terror among citizens” and “to prevent the political participation of the opposition.”

But in the lead-up to Friday’s inauguration, more than 1, 500 prisoners detained in the post-election sweep have been released, in what critics say could be an attempt to reduce scrutiny on the government’s human rights record.

Alfredo Romero, the director of Foro Penal, a Venezuelan human rights watchdog, explained that “having a number of innocent youths with their relatives, especially their mothers, at the door of the prisons” holding vigils was reflecting poorly on the Maduro administration.

Rights groups have also questioned the accuracy of the government’s numbers.

As of the first week of January, according to Romero, at least 1,749 prisoners were still in custody, and more alleged dissidents have since been taken into custody.

“People may be released from prison, but it doesn’t mean that new ones won’t be jailed”, he said.

Inauguration backlash

Despite widespread fear over repression, demonstrations are expected on the day of Maduro’s third inauguration.

Gonzalez, the opposition’s presidential candidate, has also pledged to return to Venezuela from his exile abroad and be sworn in on Friday. How or if he will fulfill that promise is undetermined.

Machado, who has been hiding out in Venezuela for months, demanded on Sunday that Venezuelans march in support of a power transition this week in a video message posted to social media.

We must force Maharu to leave with the support of a population that never gives up, Machado said. It’s time to stand up and explain to them that this is their only option. That this is over”.

More than 1,200 military personnel have been dispatched to cities across the country to “guarantee peace” on inauguration day, according to the Maduro government.

The government has also detained more than 12 human rights defenders, political activists, and relatives of opposition figures in recent days, according to Amnesty International, a human rights organisation.

The detainments allegedly include Gonzalez’s son-in-law, Rafael Tudares: The presidential candidate said Tudares was abducted by masked men in Caracas on Tuesday.

And on Thursday, according to opposition officials, Machado herself was detained as she left an anti-Maduro demonstration. She was swiftly released.

An uncertain future

A new wave of international condemnation has been brought on by recent arrests.

The United States Embassy in Venezuela has called the detention of Gonzalez’s son-in-law an act of “intimidation” against the opposition. Gustavo Petro, president of Colombia, claimed he was unable to attend Maduro’s inauguration on Friday due to the arrests.

Still, Maduro’s control of state institutions has allowed security forces to act with impunity, according to the recent report from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

If Maduro holds the office for a third term, according to Medina, Venezuelan repression may increase.

“If we do not achieve freedom, there will be much more persecution”, said Medina. They will make an effort to stop everything, including the media and political leaders, that they believe is the opposition.

He continued to work on exposing human rights violations from abroad, adding that he hopes to do so for the time being.

Source: Aljazeera